News Article

ECF’s Swedish Member Achieves Government Funding for E-Bikes

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – The Swedish Government has presented a budget for 2018 that includes a 25% subsidy for all e-bike sales up to 2021. This will boost e-bike sales in Sweden. And the Swedish example is now the benchmark for all European countries to follow. For example discussions on that started already in the UK while in Norway a generous subsidy scheme on e-bikes is already in place.

The European Cyclists Federation (ECF) member and Sweden’s cyclists’ association Cykelfrämjandet is to be thanked for achieving this result. The association’s advocacy efforts resulted in a formidable subsidy budget of SEK 350 million (€ 36 million) per year for 2018, 2019 and 2020.

25% subsidy up to € 1,000 per e-bike

The Swedish government has allocated over one billion krona for boosting e-bike sales and use. This amount boils down to close to 110 million euro. Everyone (individuals not companies) who buys an e-bike from today up to the end of 2020 is granted a subsidy of 25% on the e-bike’s retail price up to SEK 10,000 SEK (€ 1,000) per e-bike. The only limitation on the subsidy scheme in Sweden is that it goes for Swedes older than 15 years while per person one subsidized e-bike can be bought.

High potential cyclists’ associations

According to the ECF “Cykelfrämjandet has been a three-year participant in ECF’s Leadership Programme which is funded by company donations to the ECF Cycling Industry Club. High potential cyclists’ associations get funds, support and training to transform their national campaigning to a professional level. In Sweden the industry now sees a € 100 million return for just € 60,000 grants to Cykelfrämjandet, and that has been repeated in other countries like Italy.”

Inspiration from Norway

Cykelfrämjandet has been inspired by fellow ECF member for Norway, Syklistenes Landsforening, as Oslo had conducted a similar scheme on e-bike subsidies in 2016, and by ECF’s ground breaking studies into bicycle and e-bike subsidies named “Electromobility for all: Financial incentives for e-cycling.”

Collaboration success

President of Cykelfrämjandet Lars Strömgren commented on the Swedish government subsidy announcement “This is a success for Sweden and European collaboration. The ‘elcykelpremie’ would never have been introduced without the work of Cykelfrämjandet. And that would not have been possible without the collaboration between ECF member organisations and the skills that we have acquired through the Leadership Programme. The support we have had from the Cycling Industry Club grants made this possible.”